Getting the results of the Mayo by-election
Timely and comprehensive election results for the Mayo by-election will be available on election night via the Virtual Tally Room (VTR) on the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) website at www.aec.gov.au.
Results will be available shortly after 6pm on election night, Saturday 6 September 2008 and updates will take place regularly throughout the night. The VTR for the Mayo by-election will operate until all results are finalised.
What results are available on election night?
The majority of electors (around 80%) cast an ‘ordinary’ vote, that is a vote cast on election day at a polling place within the electorate for which the elector is enrolled.
On election night only ordinary votes are counted and the results will be available as first preferences and as a two-candidate-preferred (TCP) count on the VTR.
What results are available after election day?
There are a number of electors who cast what is known as a declaration vote and these are counted after election night. They consist of the following types of votes at by-elections:
- Postal vote – a vote cast by mail before election day by an elector – an elector needs to apply for a postal vote on a postal vote application form
- Early vote – a vote cast in person before election day at the AEC divisional office or early voting centres
- Provisional vote – a vote cast on election day by an elector who believes he or she should be on the roll but whose name could not be found on the roll in the voting centre.
A fresh count of ordinary votes is also done in the post election period, to ensure accuracy of the election night count.
The counting of postal votes is an ongoing process as legislation requires that the AEC waits for up to 13 days after election day for postal votes. Postal votes are counted if they are postmarked before 6pm on election day and are received within 13 days of election day.
For further information visit the AEC website at www.aec.gov.au or call 13 23 26.
Media feed results
The AEC will also be providing election results through the media feed on the AEC website at http://www.aec.gov.au/media/mediafeed/. The media feed provides election results in raw data format (formatted as XML) for those users wishing to do further processing and formatting.
Contact:
Peita Mamo
Manager, Public Awareness
P 02 9375 6313
M 0412 269 720
